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Fire Engine Red, A Proud Fixer Upper, and More Eichlers: All in a Day’s Palo Alto Real Estate Tour

Chomping at the bit to go, I headed straight out of this morning’s broker marketing meeting to see what the new Palo Alto inventory looks like. The outcome? Inventory is definitely on the rise, with both statistical proof (the Altos Research chart on the left) and the general buzz and business of everybody touring around today.

With six homes on my list — scattered throughout town — and only two hours on my calendar, it was all about efficiency.

First up was 1045 Newell, an “original Barrett & Hilp home,” a Leannah Hunt (Coldwell Banker) listing in the Green Gables neighborhood. $1.25M gets you 3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, 1500 sq ft, and a quick 5-10 minute drive on Embarcadero over to the 101. A trust sale home and not particularly updated — but well-staged, per Leannah’s custom — this home awaits the next generation of Palo Altan home owners.

Then it was across Embarcadero and Oregon over to South Palo Alto to see another Coldwell Banker listing — this one from Robert Lane — at 2898 Louis Road. “This one has charm,” says the listing, and it would be hard to argue with that. It has 2 bedrooms and 2 baths squeezed into just under 1000 sq ft, so the next owner will most likely want to expand — but since it’s a corner lot, the only way to do so and still keep in line with Palo Alto’s setback laws may be to go into the side yard.

Just south of this Louis Road listing was 770 Allen Ct, a fixer upper and proud of it. The listing agent, Steve Greenbaum from Keller Williams (another technophile like myself!) explained that a contractor actually lived in the property in its current condition — something I’m not sure I could have done even in my Peace Corps days — but simply didn’t finish the project. The bones of the home look good, and the yard is large, though in need of some TLC. An old fashioned pot-bellied stove in one of the rooms awaits the new owner.

Then there’s the fire-engine red Eichler at 3924 Louis. Nancy Goldcamp (Coldwell Banker again — what’s with this? Did Alain Pinel go out of business?) brings us this $1.175M 3/2 1900 sq ft, adorned with a great kitchen, and with all the light you would expect from an Eichler. Great staging, though tragically not done by my friend Ann O’Connell. Oh well, we’ll give her a few more years to completely corner the market.

Rounding out my tour today was another small property begging for a facelift or perhaps even a complete organ transplant. 3176 Emerson is, as the listing agent Richard Cottrell himself describes it in the MLS, a real fixer upper on a terrific lot in a great neighborhood. Folks living outside of this fantasy land we call the Bay Area may be shocked that a fixer-upper — and an 840 sq ft one at that — is not only on the market at $935,000, but will in fact probably sell with multiple offers, well above that price.

Tags: 94303, 94306, Consumer, Eichler, Green Gables, Leannah Hunt, Midtown, Nancy Goldcamp, Palo Alto, Property reviews, Real estate, South Palo Alto

Today’s Palo Alto homes review: Bait ‘n Switch, Bad Staging, Unresponsive Contractors, and Other Rants

Normally I take care of my daily frustrations through a vigorous workout at 24-hr fitness, but this time I thought I’d let my blog take the brunt of it.

You see, I spent a good part of this morning touring the new crop of properties available in Palo Alto (all of which will likely sell in a flash, with multiple offers, well above list price). You’d think that if I and dozens of my colleagues are going to take the time to go see what’s out there, the listing agents and sellers would give us something good to look at!

Alas, one of the first properties I went to, 797 Mayview in Palo Alto, was a “bait ‘n switch.” Looked good on paper, perhaps was good in reality…but the listing agent and her lockbox were AWOL, and the street sign said, “Don’t disturb.” Ok…you’re gonna put a property on the MLS, you’re gonna post the tour date…and then you’re gonna make the property inaccessible? Grrrr…. It was a shame, too, since this one has some potential: a large lot — big enough for two homes, in fact — and a great location with easy access to highway 101.

At least three properties were clearly competing for the Solstice Staging “Yikes, get these sellers a stager!” award. See for yourself the photos of this property:

For the other two, the listing agent (wisely, I think) chose not to post shots of the interior, and by a stroke of luck for the sellers, I had forgotten my camera.

Thankfully all was not lost, however. 281 Parkside (Charlene Geers of Coldwell Banker) and 1103 Stanford (Judy Levin and Lisa Blair, Alain Pinel Realtors) were both delightful, and well-presented to boot. The first is a bright, upgraded Eichler, adorned with skylights, and richly landscaped. The second is small and cozy, done up to the 9’s, but unfortunately garage-less since it was converted into an additional living space.

281 Parkside…

and 1103 Stanford

And now, back to my rant…

Will somebody please teach these guys how to answer a phone? Palo Alto Concrete is a local, well-respected construction company with a reputation for good work. Alas, neither I nor my clients will have a chance to test that bit of their reputation. You see, we asked them for a quote for some foundation work about, oh, 2 months ago. Took them nearly one month, plus innumerable phone calls to every number I had available for them, before we got the quote. Then it took another month to retrieve the plans they had borrowed — again, only after numerous phone calls. Guys, you might be busy, you might not have really even been interested in getting the gig…but at least GIVE ME A CALL DAMMIT!

There, I feel much better now.

Tags: 94303, 94306, Contractors, Open houses, Palo Alto, Property reviews, Real estate

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